“I believe that if given the choice, animals would decline to having themselves undergo a painful procedure of being either tattooed or pierced,” Grisanti told the television station. “On a number of different levels, this practice is a selfish act by a pet owner.

“No matter how you look at it, this is animal cruelty and we must do what we can to protect our dogs, cats and other pets from being put through that type of discomfort.”